Abstract

Affirmative action is one of the most effective tools for redressing the injustices caused by our nation's historic discrimination against people of color and women and for leveling what has long been an uneven playing field. A centuries-long legacy of racism and sexism has not been eradicated, despite the gains made during the civil rights era. The workforce is comprised of many different opportunities and obstacles. Factors such as education level, job experience, and networking opportunities normally play a key factor in one’s ability to excel in the workplace or climb up the corporate ladder in order to achieve success. This process may even seem to be an easy and natural progression for some. For minorities and women, however, this same path often leads to unattainable goals for success.  This due to the aforementioned fact concerning our Nation’s century- long practices of racial and gender discrimination. Thus, is it fair to say that these groups have been disproportionately misrepresented in both higher levels of corporate America and in academia. The question up for discussion is whether the United States Affirmative Action law should remain the same, be modified, or be eliminated? 

After carefully looking at all alternatives, the one I would select is to keep affirmative action. I recommend this for several reasons. With selecting affirmative action, you will hire more qualified racial minorities in the workforce and it will create a much broader talent pool available to employers. This will eliminate race discrimination and supply more opportunities for the business to thrive as well as create more opportunities for qualified minority workers. By hiring more highly qualified women in the workplace it helps in breaking the glass ceiling where a new form of diversity brought by hiring more women in the workplace is vital to maintaining an organization’s competitive advantage.